Biography-Les Horne (July 15,1925-July 31,2011)

Les Horne was passionate about his commitment to children. He believed that the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child was not simply a political document but represented real promises to children, promises they should be able to count on. He also believed that children’s voices should be heard particularly those children who […]

April 26th, 2011 – The "Best Interests of The Child": A Promise Broken

This year’s Lowery Lecturer is Kim Pate, Executive Director of the Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies (CAEFS) and part time professor at the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law. She is an advocate for the rights of women and girls caught in the criminal justice system, for example, Ashley Smith, the young woman whose […]

Ashley Smith

Dr. Porter made an astonishing finding in her ruling that the videotapes showing Ashley Smith being forcibly injected with tranquilizers, taunted by professional staff, and strapped to a gurney without food or water cannot be considered essential evidence at the inquiry into the causes of her death.   Ashley could still be alive if she had been […]

HUMAN RIGHTS DENIED TO FIRST NATIONS CHILDREN:

The decision of the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal to dismiss the allegation that  the Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs has been guilty of racial discrimination against First Nations children, comes as a huge shock to anyone who knows the history of  mistreatment of aboriginal communities in Canada. The allegation that children on reserves receive […]

MANIFESTO FOR YOUTH

The natural agency for the development and training of children and youth is the family.   The UN.Convention on the Rights of the Child was a heroic effort to provide a framework for the healthy development of young people in every culture.  The present initiatives of the Canadian Government are heretical and unfortunate attempts to re-impose […]